The voice behind the microphone: media systems and United Nations peacekeeping in Hait and Cote d'Ivoire

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Abstract

Since 1948, and the authorization of the deployment of military observers to the Middle
East by the Security Council, peacekeeping has played a significant role in the United Nations
mission. The relationship between the news media and its audience via the now of information requires a critical examination, for the impact of the media on peacekeeping missions presents far-reaching ramifications. Perpetuated by the news media, globalized political discourses have become a mechanism that both constrains and directs peacekeeping. Certainly, radio and television broadcasts, as well as newspaper stories, have created a collection or voices that have shaped public views; however, despite the debate that has occurred concerning the media as a manipulator of public perceptions, much remains to be explored. Contemporary scholarship (e.g., the manufacturing consent model; the political consent model) focuses primarily on the
interactions between government, media, and the public over the control and now or information
between those bodies. The goal of my research is neither to prove nor disprove these arguments, but rather to examine the ideologies and potential patterns of discourse among news sources. This paper intends to identify meaningful grounded theories by comparing different levels or media and their portrayals, perceptions, and discourses of current United Nations peacekeeping operations and peacekeepers in two former French colonies: Haiti and Cote d'Ivoire.